The Old You
by livelovelast
Summary: After their last conversation, Kate comes back from the jungle angry at Jack, but also needing to prove something. He was wrong about her not liking the old him.


I haven't written anything on here in a while, but I had to write something after the last episode. I feel like the conversation between Jack and Kate should have been continued. The writers always just leave us hanging, and with all the skate talk last night, I figured some jate was needed.

Anyway, this picks up right where the last episode left off.

* * *

"Jack," Kate stormed into the house, dirtied from walking through the jungle. For a minute all he could do was stare; he was so used to seeing her look like a mother, he had forgotten that she was also a tom boy at heart.

The next thing he noticed was that she was furious. If looks could kill, he was sure he'd be six feet under.

"Kate, I'm not gonna defend myself again. I didn't help Ben and I don't regret it." He tried to side step her, go get himself a drink of water.

"I'm not here to talk about the surgery!" She blocked his path, and he surrendered, leaning against the counter top.

"Then what do you want, Kate? You've made it pretty clear that you aren't happy with me." For someone who didn't like him, she was standing awfully close.

"Not happy with you? I'm furious with you," she corrected him. "But forget about the surgery. You wanna know why I have the urge to kill you? Because you are just so _stupid_!" With the last word she gave his chest a shove.

He glared down at her, and pushed her hands off of him. "Excuse me?" he snapped.

"_You didn't like the old me_?" She mimicked his words from earlier, her tone incredulous. "Are you joking?"

"That's what this is about? Well, fine, what made you so upset about that?" He couldn't keep the impatience out of his tone. She came here in a huff just to rehash this conversation?

"You're an idiot, Jack, you know that? You really are a piece of work." Something Cassidy had actually been right about. "You think I didn't like the old you? I was going to _marry_ the old you!"

Her chest rose and fell as she breathed heavily, so worked up by her anger. But her statement enraged him so much that he could only focus on his own.

He let out a humorless laugh. "Well you didn't, did you?"

He could see that her eyes were glazed over by unshed tears, but her gaze was as angry as ever. "How dare you? How dare you say that to me? You left me! You walked out! You don't get to blame this on me!"

"And why did I leave, Kate? Because you _lied_. And I get it, I guess. You needed someone there, and I was willing. But I promised myself after my divorce; no more lies."

She drew a raspy breath, and her tone evened out. "That's what you think it was? A lie? All of it?"

"Tell me it wasn't," Jack replied, his own breathing labored. "Tell me you weren't doing things for Sawyer behind my back, and then trying to lie to me about it. Tell me I wasn't your second choice."

The tears finally fell over, but she held firm, pretending as if they weren't even there. Their eyes locked, neither wanting to be the first to look away. Her hands found their way back to his body, this time wrapping themselves around his neck.

He should have been caught off guard, he supposed, but he knew the second she started crying that she would kiss him. And he knew that he would kiss her back. Surprisingly, the kiss wasn't angry and fast, as their argument was, but instead it was slow and passionate. They were both trying to prove something. But what?

That they still loved each other? Maybe. But each of them knew that already, deep down.

That they still cared, and wanted things to work out? Neither of them knew how things would turn out, and a kiss wouldn't change that.

That they needed each other. That no matter what, they couldn't survive without the other. That it killed them to be apart. That's what they were trying to prove.

She was the one to break the kiss, her eyes remaining closed for a few seconds afterward. She stepped away from him, but kept eye contact.

"I went back for you when you were with the Others," she said softly. "I left the island with you, when I could have followed him off that helicopter. I came back here with you, when I had every reason to stay behind."

She turned away, heading for the door. Before opening it, she looked back.

"And if it comes to it, I'll leave this place again, as long as you're with me."

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Reviews would be appreciated, seeing as how long I've been gone :)


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